BRUSSELS, 13th November, 2026 (WAM) -- An European newspaper highlighted that the UAE’s commitment to teaching peace and tolerance is reflected in the decision to dedicate an entire school subject, Moral Education, to cultivating principles such as tolerance, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
An instructive example of how tolerance can be deliberately embedded within a national curriculum can be found thousands of miles from Europe in the classrooms of the United Arab Emirates. Rather than treating respect for difference as an incidental educational outcome, Emirati textbooks present coexistence as a foundational civic and religious value,according to an article published today by the EU Reporter, a Brussels-based digital news and media website.
The UAE thus demonstrates how civic and religious education can work together to cultivate a culture of coexistence, the paper noted. Underscoring the value and core tenets of tolerance and respect for the other, a Grade 6 Moral Education textbook teaches that “we are a country where all of humanity lives, despite the differences that Allah created them with, with real love and real tolerance.” Crucially, these values are not confined to Moral Education. They are reinforced throughout the curriculum, including Islamic Education textbooks, where tolerance, compassion and respect for religious difference are presented as integral to religious teaching itself.
Another striking feature of the UAE’s education system is the way interreligious tolerance is presented not as a modern civic accommodation, but as a religious imperative deeply embedded within Islamic tradition itself. The curriculum presents pluralism of belief as a strength, rather than a concession, and students learn that respect for religious and cultural difference is a moral default, not a western import or tactical compromise. Introducing these frameworks at such formative stages of development is consequential, shaping moral instincts before prejudice has the opportunity to take hold.
The paper said: ''When education is infused with the values of tolerance and peace, it is a long-term investment in stability. When designed responsibly, both religious and civic education can become the strongest tools for inclusive and values-based societies. As Dr. Karima Matar al-Mazroui, advisor to the Chancellor at Mohamed bin Zayed University for Humanities, has argued in the foreword of a recent paper on the UAE’s unique curriculum, that tolerance is “essential to the survival of plural societies.” This is a lesson with particular relevance for Europe, where increasingly diverse societies have prompted renewed debate over how best to strengthen social cohesion.''
As the world marks the UN-designated International Day for Tolerance on 16 November, the paper added that the occasion offers a timely opportunity to examine the vital role education plays in fostering peaceful, cohesive and thriving societies, and what Europe might learn from the UAE's approach to embedding tolerance and mutual respect within its national curriculum.
The paper stressed that education remains one of the most powerful and enduring tools for preventing intolerance before it takes root; the values that are embedded in textbooks at a young age will inform the future behaviour and values of a society.